Honestly?
by yamifannetje
Summary: Avalon wants to make things up with Palladium and ends up a bit different than he had expected.


Bloom and Stella hurried to the great hall for dinner. When they reached the stairs they passed professor Avalon who was going in the opposite direction. He looked at them shortly and his look changed while it went from Bloom to Stella. He frowned, then nodded his head while he walked passed them.  
>"Well, he surely has had a bad day." Stella commented "Not even a 'good evening'<br>Bloom shrugged.  
>"I wonder why." Stella said, her eyes starting to glitter. Bloom didn't like the way this was going to lead.<br>"Shall we?" Stella asked.  
>"It is not our business, Stella. Besides, we have to go. The others must be waiting for us already."<br>Stella smiled mischievously. Bloom rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh and followed Stella. She would not let Stella alone with this or bad things would happen."  
>They went back to the corner of the corridor. Avalon had stood still at the first door they saw and knocked on it. A silent voice told him to go away.<br>"Stop being ridiculous, Palladium." Avalon said bruskly "You cannot keep up avoiding me forever."  
>"The library?" Bloom whispered, confused.<br>"Obviously, it's the most quiet place and moist avoided by students." Stella answered when she got avert her attention from the two men to Bloom for a couple of seconds.  
>Again there was that mischievous smile on Stella's face. What they saw next was very different though from what they had expected. Avalon was already walking away when the door opened and Palladium stepped out into the corridor. Bloom and Stella couldn't see it clearly from where they were hiding, but it seemed as if Avalon was embracing him. When he straightened himself agaion he looked at Palladium and exclaimed:"Good Heavens, Palladium." Both girls gasped. Palladium's face was wet en his eyes were red. He had been crying.<br>Avalon bustled at the bottle of brandy he took out of his pocket - Bloom and Stella were surprised to know he had one on him - and fumbled with the lid to open it before handing it to his colleague. He seemed a bit nervous.  
>"I can't bear it anymore." Palladium said. "I can't help it but I feel attracted toward that girl."<br>Avalon seemed to stiffen at that and his expression became a shade grim.  
>"Then why not act on it?"<br>"I can't, Avalon. You know I can't. Besides, what about you?"  
>"Don't bother me, Palladium. I have enjoyed our time together but it was only a game to me, you know that? I said you from the beginning it was nothing more than that to me."<br>" I know." Palladium said. He looked positively warily.  
>"I'm sorry, Pal." Avalon sat down now and placed a hand on the other's knee. His next words made Bloom and Stella hold their breath. "You fell in love with me?"<br>Palladium nodded, not looking at Avalon.  
>"I'm sorry, Palladium." Avalon said, his voice sincerely. "I'm so sorry to hurt you."<br>Palladium shook his head. "Don't blame yourself, Avalon. It is your right to love the person you choose. If that isn't me, then it is what it is."  
>Avalon started to pace.<br>"Just go to her."  
>"I can't, she's a student."<br>"I know."  
>Avalon's voice sounded rather impatiently. Stella sighed, irritated with the fact men could be so bad with feelings. Bloom wasn't aware of that. She was curious as where the love of her teacher really laid.<br>"Palladium, you are tearing yourself up about that girl. You need to admit it to yourself. And once you did that, you have to go to the headmistress. Things can be arranged so her exams will not come into danger."  
>"I can't!" Palladium burst out "Don't you see?I hurt her, before, Avalon. I refused her love, hurt her feelings and pushed her away. I rejected her."<br>"Which was your right. And your duty, for that matter. If she can't understand that, she's not worth of your love."  
>Palladium looked at him, a bit stunned. "You do think about me that highly?"<br>Now it was Avalon's turn to blush. "Yes." He finally admitted. "Yes, I think very highly of you."  
>P stopped sniffing and looked frowning at the other man.<br>"Still you push me towards her."  
>"Yes."<br>Palladium looked shocked by that simple answer.  
>"Why?"<br>"Because it hurts me, you idiot!" Avalon screamed. Palladium stumbled back when the other man yelled at him.  
>He stepped into the wall. He started to tremble and to cry again. The girls didn't recognize their teacher anymore. Avalon gasped when Palladium lowered himself to the floor, supporting against the bookcase .<br>"Palladium"  
>Avalon ran forward and knelt down. Bloom and Stella could hear his fastening breathing .<br>"Palladium, please, I…" he was clearly at a loss for words."I didn't mean to frighten you. It's just the nervosity I guess. Please, calm down, you scare me."  
>The other man didn't react. Avalon sighed. Then he said: "I love you, Palladium. I really do truly love you. But I knew from the beginning our love was going to be damned, spoken about. So I kept silent. But when you got involved with that stupid prank of those girls, I saw you being drawn to Flora and I was hurt. At the other hand, if you were together with her, I had no reason to hope anymore and to hurt, scolding myself for not trying to tell to you how I felt. How I still feel. That's why I tried to convince you until just now to go to her. without taking into account the very possibility you might love me back."<br>Bloom and Stella gasped and Stella said out loud: "What?"  
>Both men looked up, aware they were being spied. Palladium paled. Avalon, who had taken his shoulders as wanted he to protect him against whoever was there, called out: "Who's there?"<br>Bloom and Stella didn't wait to answer, however. As fast as they could, they ran to the great hall. On the way, they stared at each other and the shock made them both giggle, making every face turn towards them when they entered the hall.


End file.
